Connecticut western news., 1887-11-16
THE MONOGRAPH.
How Edison Has Perfected an Extraordinary Instrument.
A Machine Which Records and ! Reproduces Human Speech.

the great inventor, said of his newly finished phonograph: "You know that l finished the first photograph more than ten years ago. It remained more or less toy. The germ of something 1 wondeEful was perfectly distinct, but I tried the impossible with it, and when the electric light business assumed com mercial importance, threw everything overheard for that. Nevertheless, the photograph has been more or less con- | constantly in my mind ever since
 When resting from prolonged work up on the light, my brain would revert almost automatically to the old idea Since the light has been finished, Ihave taken up tho photograph, and after eight months of steady work, have made it commercial in- ventlon. My photograph I expect to sec in every business office. Their opera tion is simplicity itself, and cannot fail. The merchant or clerk who wishes to send letter has only to set tho machine in motion, and to talk in his natural voice and at the usual rate of speed into the receiver. When he has finished, the sheet, or 'phonogram,' as I call it, is ready for putting into little box made on purpose for the mails. We are mak- ing the sheets in three sizes---one for letters of from 800 to 1000 words, an- other size for 4O0O words. I expect that an arrangement may be mado with the postoffice authorities enabling the pho- nogram boxes to be sent at the same rate as letter.
 ''Tho receiver of phonogram will put it into his apparatus and the mes- sage will be given out more clearly, moro distinctly than the best telephone mes- sage ever sent. The tones of the voice in the two photographs which I have finished are so perfectly rendered that one can distinguish between twenty diff ferent persons, each one of whom has | said few words. One tremendous ad- vantage is that the letter may be re- peated thousand times if necessary. | The phonogram does not wear out by use; moreover, it may be filed away for 1 hundred years and be ready the in- stant it is needed. If man dictates his will to the photograph, there will be no disputing the authenticity of the docu- ment with those who knew the tones of his voice in life. The cost of mixing the phonogram will be scarcely more than the cost of ordinary letter paper. The machine will read out the letter or message at the same speed with which it was dictated.
 'I have experimented with a device for enabling printers to set type directly from the dictation of the photograph, and think that it will work to a charm. It is so arranged that the printer by touching a lever with his foot all ows five or ten words of tho phonogram to be sounded; if he is not satisfied with the first hearing he can make it repeat the same words over and over again un- til he has them in type. For busy men who dictate great deal for the press, am sure that the phonograp will be a necessity after very little experience.
 "For musicians the photograph is go- ing to do wonders, owing to the extreme cheapness with which I can duplicate phonograms and the delicacy with which the apparatus gives out all the musical sounds. In the early photograph of ten years ago, which was very imperfect and crude affair compared to that of to-day, it was always noticed that musical sounds came out peculiarly we'll; the machine would whistle or sing far better than it could talk. This pecu- liarity of the photograph remains. I have taken down the music of ali or chestra, and the result is marvellous; !; each instrument can be perfectly distinguished, the strings are perfectly distinct, the violins from the cellos, the wind instruments and the wood are per fectly heard, and even in the notes of a violin the over tones are distinct to a delicate ear. It is going to work won ders for the benefit of music-lovers. A piece for any instrument, for the piano,
 or for an orchestra, or an act, or the whole of an opera, musical instruments
 and voices, can be given out by the photograph with a beauty of tone and a
 distinctness past belief, and the dupli-
 eating apparatus for phonograms is so
 cheap an affair that the price of music
 for the photograph will be scarcely worth
 considering. As the phonogram will be practically indistructible by ordinary
 use, such music can be played over and over again.
 "My first photograph, as you remem-
 Der, consisted simply of roller carry ing the foil, and provided with a dia- phragm-point properly arranged to
 scrapo or indent the foil The roller was turned by hand. In the new instru- ment there is far more complication, but ) altogether different results. My pro- ! polling machinery consists of a small electric motor, run by very few cells. Strange to say, have found more diff ) culty in getting motor to suit me than , any other part of the apparatus. Itried } various kinds of clock work and spring motors, but found them untrustworthy l and noisy. The motors am now mak- , ing are absolutely steady and noiseless. , There is no part of the apparatus, the f tools for which am now making upon
 a larno scale harn which is lik elu tn onf